NORWALK—Sunday ( June 4th) is shaping up to be a great day at St. Philip Parish in Norwalk with a special celebration to honor Fr. Michael Boccaccio after 29 years of service as Pastor of St. Philip.
The celebration will get underway with Mass at Noon followed by the Parish Picnic on the lawn. Many parishioners have stepped forward to prepare and plan and volunteer on this festive day in the life of the parish.
Fr. Boccaccio, 73, retired in January and became the first Senior Active Priest in the Diocese, a new program to further engage retired priests in the life of the diocese. He has since settled in as a resident priest at Our Lady of Peace Parish in Stratford and will continue to serve as a judge in the Diocesan Tribunal Office.
At the time of his retirement Fr. Boccaccio praised parishioners for inspiring him with their dedication and involvement in parish life. “They enriched me and made me a better person and a better priest,” he said.
Philip Parish was formed on August 21, 1964 by Bishop Walter W. Curtis, who carved the new parish out of the north-western portion of St. Mary Parish. The church grounds were once known as Oak Hill, and were the site of the Manice Deforest Lockwood estate. The property had been a small onion farm owned by the Lockwood family for generations.
Fr. Sudhir DSouza was installed as fourth Pastor of St. Philip Parish on Sunday April 30 in a Mass celebrated by Bishop Frank J. Caggiano
St. Philip Church is located at 1 Father Conlon Place in Norwalk. http://www.stphilipnorwalk.org phone: 203-847-4549
Read profile of Fr. Michael Boccaccio that appeared in the February issue of Fairfield County Catholic
